US20200043678A1 - Button assembly - Google Patents
Button assembly Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20200043678A1 US20200043678A1 US16/408,481 US201916408481A US2020043678A1 US 20200043678 A1 US20200043678 A1 US 20200043678A1 US 201916408481 A US201916408481 A US 201916408481A US 2020043678 A1 US2020043678 A1 US 2020043678A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- disposed
- cap
- interference
- bottom plate
- button assembly
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H3/00—Mechanisms for operating contacts
- H01H3/02—Operating parts, i.e. for operating driving mechanism by a mechanical force external to the switch
- H01H3/12—Push-buttons
- H01H3/122—Push-buttons with enlarged actuating area, e.g. of the elongated bar-type; Stabilising means therefor
- H01H3/125—Push-buttons with enlarged actuating area, e.g. of the elongated bar-type; Stabilising means therefor using a scissor mechanism as stabiliser
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H13/00—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch
- H01H13/02—Details
- H01H13/12—Movable parts; Contacts mounted thereon
- H01H13/14—Operating parts, e.g. push-button
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H13/00—Switches having rectilinearly-movable operating part or parts adapted for pushing or pulling in one direction only, e.g. push-button switch
- H01H13/02—Details
- H01H13/12—Movable parts; Contacts mounted thereon
- H01H13/20—Driving mechanisms
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
- H01H2221/00—Actuators
- H01H2221/062—Damping vibrations
Definitions
- the disclosure relates to a button assembly, and more particularly to a button assembly which reduces noise during use.
- a keyboard is an input device which is used by punching with fingers.
- a link member is usually disposed in the relatively longer button assembly to increase the structural strength of the cap, and the cap may move up and down relative to a bottom plate through the link member.
- the link member usually collides with the bottom plate and noise is produced.
- the junction between the link member and the bottom plate also produces noise due to friction. The problem of noise produced when punching the button assembly is in need for further improvement.
- the disclosure provides a button assembly with reduced noise when being punched.
- a button assembly of the disclosure includes a bottom plate, a cap, an elastic member, a link member, and an interference member.
- the cap is disposed on the bottom plate, and the cap has a button surface and an inner surface on opposite sides.
- the elastic member is disposed under the cap.
- the link member has two parallel portions parallel to each other and a horizontal portion connected with the two parallel portions, wherein the two parallel portions are disposed to the bottom plate and the horizontal portion is disposed to the inner surface.
- the interference member is disposed between the inner surface and the link member.
- the interference member above is disposed on the inner surface.
- the interference member above is disposed on the link member.
- the button assembly further includes a thin film circuit board disposed on the bottom plate, and the thin film circuit board is located under the elastic member.
- the button assembly further includes a support member disposed between the cap and the bottom plate.
- a button assembly of the disclosure includes a bottom plate, a cap, an elastic member, and a link member.
- the cap is disposed on the bottom plate, and the cap has a button surface and an inner surface on opposite sides, wherein the cap has a first interference member and a second interference member, the first interference member and the second interference member are disposed on the inner surface, wherein the interference member and the second interference member respectively has a first accommodating area and a second accommodating area.
- the elastic member is disposed under the cap.
- the link member has two parallel portions parallel to each other and a horizontal portion connected with the two parallel portions, wherein the two parallel portions are disposed on the bottom plate and the horizontal portion is disposed in the first accommodating area and the second accommodating area, wherein the first accommodating area has a first central axis, the second accommodating area has a second central axis, and the first central axis and the second central axis are parallel to each other and not coaxial.
- the horizontal portion has a third central axis, and the third central axis is not coaxial with the first central axis nor the second central axis.
- a button assembly of the disclosure includes a bottom plate, a cap, an elastic member, and a link member.
- the cap is disposed on the bottom plate, and the cap has a button surface and an inner surface on opposite sides, wherein the cap has two pairs of interference members disposed on the inner surface and protruding toward the bottom plate.
- the elastic member is disposed under the cap.
- the link member has two parallel portions parallel to each other and a horizontal portion connected with the two parallel portions, wherein the two parallel portions are disposed to the bottom plate and the horizontal portion is snapped into the two pairs of interference members, wherein the two pairs of interference members are arranged along the axial direction of the horizontal portion, and one pair of the interference members is offset to the other pair of the interference members along the axial direction of the parallel portion to.
- the button assembly further includes a thin film circuit board disposed on the bottom plate, and the thin film circuit board is located under the elastic member.
- the button assembly further includes a support member disposed between the cap and the bottom plate.
- the button assembly of the disclosure a more compact contact or even interference with the link member is provided through the configuration of the interference member. Therefore, when the user punches the button assembly, the link member is not easily rotated, so that resonance can be prevented, thereby achieving the effect of noise reduction.
- FIG. 1 is an exploded schematic view of a button assembly according to a first embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 2 is an assembly schematic view of the button assembly of FIG. 1 .
- FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a region A of FIG. 2 .
- FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an interference member disposed on an inner surface of a cap.
- FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C are schematic views of different patterns of an interference member disposed on a link member according to a second embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 6 is an assembly schematic view of a cap, an interference member, and a link member according to a third embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a button assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the disclosure.
- FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are cross-sectional schematic views of an area B and an area C of FIG. 7 .
- FIG. 1 is an exploded schematic view of a button assembly according to a first embodiment of the disclosure
- FIG. 2 is an assembly schematic view of the button assembly of FIG. 1
- FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a region A of FIG. 2 .
- a button assembly 100 of the embodiment includes a bottom plate 110 , a cap 120 , an elastic member 130 , a link member 140 , and an interference member 150 .
- the cap 120 is disposed on the bottom plate 110 , and the cap 120 has a button surface 122 and an inner surface 124 on opposite sides.
- the elastic member 130 is disposed under the cap 120 .
- the link member 140 has two parallel portions 142 parallel to each other and a horizontal portion 144 connected with the two parallel portions 142 , wherein the two parallel portions 142 are disposed to the bottom plate 110 and the horizontal portion 144 is disposed to the inner surface 124 .
- the interference member 150 is disposed between the inner surface 124 and the link member 140 , wherein the interference member 150 is used for causing interference with the inner surface 124 and the link member 140 , so as to reduce the vibration due to the rotation of the horizontal portion 144 causing the end of the parallel portion 142 to collide with the bottom plate 110 , thereby achieving the effect of noise reduction.
- the button assemblies 100 of the embodiment are multiple-width keys, for example keys with relatively larger size corresponding to the Spacebar, the Enter key, the Shift key, the Backspace key, etc. in the keyboard.
- FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an interference member disposed on an inner surface of a cap.
- the interference member 150 above is disposed on an inner surface 124 of the cap 120
- the interference member 150 is disposed corresponding to the horizontal portion 144 of the link member 140 .
- the disclosure does not limit the position of the interference member 150 , and the interference member 150 may also be disposed corresponding to the parallel portion 142 .
- the interference member 150 may be integrally formed on the inner surface 124 of the cap 120 using the method of injection molding when manufacturing the cap 120 .
- the interference member 150 may also be an element independent from the cap 120 , such as a plate, disposed on the inner surface 124 via a post-processing method, such as pasting.
- the material of the interference member 150 may be the same as the material of the cap 120 , or the interference member 150 may be manufactured using a material having elasticity.
- the button assembly 100 further includes a thin film circuit board 160 disposed on the bottom plate 110 , and the thin film circuit board 160 is located under the elastic member 130 .
- the button assembly 100 may also include a support member 170 disposed between caps and the bottom plate 110 if required. In some magnetic keys, the configuration of the support member 170 may also be omitted.
- the interference member 150 protrudes from the inner surface 124 of the cap 120 , allowing the interference member 150 to maintain interference with the link member 140 . Since the end of the parallel portion 142 of the link member 140 is inserted into the bottom plate 110 to be fixed to the bottom plate 110 , the link member 140 moves corresponding to the movement of the cap 120 , allowing the horizontal portion 144 thereof to use the end of the parallel portion 142 inserted into the bottom plate 110 as the rotational axis to rotate, while the interference member 150 continues to interfere with the link member 140 to reduce the vibration due to the rotation of the horizontal portion 144 causing the end of the parallel portion 142 to collide with the bottom plate 110 , thereby achieving the effect of noise reduction.
- the effect of noise reduction with the interference member 150 being disposed corresponding to the horizontal portion 144 of the link member 140 is better as compared to the effect of noise reduction with the interference member 150 being disposed corresponding to the parallel portion 142 of the link member 140 .
- the interference member 150 corresponding to the horizontal portion 144 , the noise produced by the contact of the horizontal portion 144 with the inner surface 124 and the collision of the link member 140 with the bottom plate 110 can be prevented at the same time. Therefore, the effect of noise reduction is better.
- This embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment above, except that in the first embodiment, the interference member 150 is disposed on the inner surface 124 of the cap 120 , while in this embodiment, the interference member 151 is disposed on the link member 140 .
- FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C are schematic views of different patterns of an interference member disposed on a link member according to a second embodiment of the disclosure.
- the interference member 151 may be integrally formed on the link member 140 .
- an interference member 151 a may be formed on the link member 140 using stamping, cutting, or other machining methods at the same time of forming the link member 140 , as illustrated in FIG. 5A .
- the interference member 151 may be a protruding block, a protruding rib, or a protruding strip, depending on usage requirements.
- an interference member 151 b of a different material may also be disposed on the link member 140 using the method of double injection molding, as illustrated in FIG. 5B .
- an interference member 151 c may be a component independent from the link member 140 and may be disposed on the link member 140 (as illustrated in FIG. 5C ) via a post-processing method (for example, manual assembly).
- the interference member 151 c may be a C-ring or a hollow circular ring.
- the interference members 150 and 151 may be disposed on the inner surface 124 of the cap 120 and the link member 140 at the same time without affecting the actuation of the button assembly 100 , wherein the interference member 150 located at the inner surface 124 may be disposed corresponding to the interference member 151 on the link member 140 , or the interference members 150 and 151 may be staggered from each other.
- the number, position, shape, and material of the interference members 150 and 151 can be changed according to actual requirements.
- the goal of noise reduction can be achieved as long as a compact contact with the inner surface 124 of the cap 120 and the link member 140 at the same time can be provided.
- FIG. 6 is an assembly schematic view of a cap, an interference member, and a link member according to a third embodiment of the disclosure.
- this embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment and the second embodiment above, except that in a button assembly 100 ′ of this embodiment, the interference member 152 is not disposed between the inner surface 124 of the cap 120 and the link member 140 , the interference member 152 is disposed in pairs on the inner surface 124 and protrudes toward the bottom plate 110 , and the horizontal portion 144 of the link member 140 is snapped into the interference member 152 .
- the interference member 152 further provides a supporting function for fixing and holding the link member 140 .
- each pair of interference members 152 has a first interference member 152 a and a second interference member 152 b , wherein the first interference member 152 a has a first accommodating area (not labeled) used for accommodating the link member 140 and the second interference member 152 b has a second accommodating area (not labeled) used for accommodating the link member 140 .
- a first central axis C 1 can be defined from the first accommodating area and a second central axis C 2 can be defined from the second accommodating area, wherein the first central axis C 1 and the second central axis C 2 are parallel but not coaxial.
- the first central axis C 1 and the second central axis C 2 can be made non-coaxial through allowing the shapes of the first interference member 152 a and the second interference member 152 b to be asymmetrical.
- the second interference member 152 b has a protruding portion 152 c protruding toward the first interference member 152 a .
- the protruding portion 152 c slightly shifts the link member 140 , allowing the third central axis C 3 of the horizontal portion 144 to be non-coaxial with the first central axis C 1 of the first interference member 152 a and also non-coaxial with the second central axis C 2 of the second interference member 152 b . In this way, the goal of reducing the noise produced by the collision of the link member 140 with the bottom plate 110 can be achieved.
- the shapes of the first interference member 152 a and the second interference member 152 b may also be symmetrical, wherein the effect of making the second central axis C 2 to deviate from the first central axis C 1 to be non-coaxial may also be achieved by disposing the protruding portion 152 c on both the first interference member 152 a and the second interference member 152 b.
- the configuration of the protruding portion 152 c allows the first central axis C 1 and the second central axis C 2 to be non-coaxial, so that the noise produced by the collision of the link member 140 with the bottom plate 110 can be reduced.
- the configuration of the protrusion portion 152 c further allows the pair of interference members 152 to have a more compact contact or even interference with the link member 140 , so that when the button assembly 100 ′ is punched, the vibration frequency of the link member 140 due to rotation can be further reduced, thereby reducing noise caused by resonance.
- FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a button assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the disclosure.
- this embodiment is substantially the same as the third embodiment above.
- the interference members 153 and 154 are formed by a method capable of fixing and holding the link member 140 .
- the difference is that the number of interference members 153 and 154 in this embodiment is more than two pairs, and the shapes of the two interference members 152 a and 152 b (labelled in FIG. 6 ) of each pair of interference members 153 and 154 are symmetrical to each other.
- the first central axes of at least two pairs of interference members 153 and 154 are not coaxial with each other.
- the position of at least one pair of the interference members 154 is dislocated by the positions of the other pairs of interference members 153 .
- the interference member 153 and the interference member 154 are arranged on an axial direction D 1 of the horizontal portion 144 , but the interference member 153 and the interference member 154 are dislocated from each other on an axial direction D 2 along the parallel portion 142 , thereby allowing a central axis C 1 ′ of the pair of interference members 154 with the offset configuration to be parallel but not coaxial with the first central axis C 1 of the other pairs of interference members 153 .
- FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B are cross-sectional schematic views of an area B and an area C of FIG. 7 .
- FIG. 8A , and FIG. 8B at the same time, after the link member 140 is snapped into these pairs of interference members 153 and 154 , it can be observed from FIG. 8A that the third central axis C 3 of the horizontal portion 144 at the area B is coaxial with the first central axis C 1 of the pair of interference members 153 .
- FIG. 8A shows that the third central axis C 3 of the horizontal portion 144 at the area B is coaxial with the first central axis C 1 of the pair of interference members 153 .
- the button assembly of the disclosure a compact contact or even interference with the link member is provided through the configuration of the interference member. Therefore, when the user punches the button assembly, the link member does not easily rotate, so that the noise produced by the collision of the link member with the bottom plate or with the cap can be reduced while preventing resonance, thereby effectively achieving the effect of noise reduction.
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- Push-Button Switches (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- This application claims the priority benefits of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 62/712,993, filed on Aug. 1, 2018, and China application serial no. 201811609150.7, filed on Dec. 27, 2018. The entirety of each of the above-mentioned patent applications is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.
- The disclosure relates to a button assembly, and more particularly to a button assembly which reduces noise during use.
- A keyboard is an input device which is used by punching with fingers. In order to allow the user to use the keyboard flexibly, a link member is usually disposed in the relatively longer button assembly to increase the structural strength of the cap, and the cap may move up and down relative to a bottom plate through the link member. However, when the cap moves up and down, the link member usually collides with the bottom plate and noise is produced. In addition, the junction between the link member and the bottom plate also produces noise due to friction. The problem of noise produced when punching the button assembly is in need for further improvement.
- The disclosure provides a button assembly with reduced noise when being punched.
- A button assembly of the disclosure includes a bottom plate, a cap, an elastic member, a link member, and an interference member. The cap is disposed on the bottom plate, and the cap has a button surface and an inner surface on opposite sides. The elastic member is disposed under the cap. The link member has two parallel portions parallel to each other and a horizontal portion connected with the two parallel portions, wherein the two parallel portions are disposed to the bottom plate and the horizontal portion is disposed to the inner surface. The interference member is disposed between the inner surface and the link member.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the interference member above is disposed on the inner surface.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the interference member above is disposed on the link member.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the button assembly further includes a thin film circuit board disposed on the bottom plate, and the thin film circuit board is located under the elastic member.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the button assembly further includes a support member disposed between the cap and the bottom plate.
- A button assembly of the disclosure includes a bottom plate, a cap, an elastic member, and a link member. The cap is disposed on the bottom plate, and the cap has a button surface and an inner surface on opposite sides, wherein the cap has a first interference member and a second interference member, the first interference member and the second interference member are disposed on the inner surface, wherein the interference member and the second interference member respectively has a first accommodating area and a second accommodating area. The elastic member is disposed under the cap. The link member has two parallel portions parallel to each other and a horizontal portion connected with the two parallel portions, wherein the two parallel portions are disposed on the bottom plate and the horizontal portion is disposed in the first accommodating area and the second accommodating area, wherein the first accommodating area has a first central axis, the second accommodating area has a second central axis, and the first central axis and the second central axis are parallel to each other and not coaxial.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the horizontal portion has a third central axis, and the third central axis is not coaxial with the first central axis nor the second central axis.
- A button assembly of the disclosure includes a bottom plate, a cap, an elastic member, and a link member. The cap is disposed on the bottom plate, and the cap has a button surface and an inner surface on opposite sides, wherein the cap has two pairs of interference members disposed on the inner surface and protruding toward the bottom plate. The elastic member is disposed under the cap. The link member has two parallel portions parallel to each other and a horizontal portion connected with the two parallel portions, wherein the two parallel portions are disposed to the bottom plate and the horizontal portion is snapped into the two pairs of interference members, wherein the two pairs of interference members are arranged along the axial direction of the horizontal portion, and one pair of the interference members is offset to the other pair of the interference members along the axial direction of the parallel portion to.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the button assembly further includes a thin film circuit board disposed on the bottom plate, and the thin film circuit board is located under the elastic member.
- In an embodiment of the disclosure, the button assembly further includes a support member disposed between the cap and the bottom plate.
- Based on the above, in the button assembly of the disclosure, a more compact contact or even interference with the link member is provided through the configuration of the interference member. Therefore, when the user punches the button assembly, the link member is not easily rotated, so that resonance can be prevented, thereby achieving the effect of noise reduction.
- To make the aforementioned and other features of the disclosure more comprehensible, several embodiments accompanied with drawings are described in detail as follows.
-
FIG. 1 is an exploded schematic view of a button assembly according to a first embodiment of the disclosure. -
FIG. 2 is an assembly schematic view of the button assembly ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a region A ofFIG. 2 . -
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an interference member disposed on an inner surface of a cap. -
FIG. 5A toFIG. 5C are schematic views of different patterns of an interference member disposed on a link member according to a second embodiment of the disclosure. -
FIG. 6 is an assembly schematic view of a cap, an interference member, and a link member according to a third embodiment of the disclosure. -
FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a button assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the disclosure. -
FIG. 8A andFIG. 8B are cross-sectional schematic views of an area B and an area C ofFIG. 7 . -
FIG. 1 is an exploded schematic view of a button assembly according to a first embodiment of the disclosure,FIG. 2 is an assembly schematic view of the button assembly of FIG. 1, andFIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a region A ofFIG. 2 . Please refer toFIG. 1 ,FIG. 2 , andFIG. 3 at the same time. Abutton assembly 100 of the embodiment includes abottom plate 110, acap 120, anelastic member 130, alink member 140, and aninterference member 150. Thecap 120 is disposed on thebottom plate 110, and thecap 120 has abutton surface 122 and aninner surface 124 on opposite sides. Theelastic member 130 is disposed under thecap 120. Thelink member 140 has twoparallel portions 142 parallel to each other and ahorizontal portion 144 connected with the twoparallel portions 142, wherein the twoparallel portions 142 are disposed to thebottom plate 110 and thehorizontal portion 144 is disposed to theinner surface 124. Theinterference member 150 is disposed between theinner surface 124 and thelink member 140, wherein theinterference member 150 is used for causing interference with theinner surface 124 and thelink member 140, so as to reduce the vibration due to the rotation of thehorizontal portion 144 causing the end of theparallel portion 142 to collide with thebottom plate 110, thereby achieving the effect of noise reduction. - The button assemblies 100 of the embodiment are multiple-width keys, for example keys with relatively larger size corresponding to the Spacebar, the Enter key, the Shift key, the Backspace key, etc. in the keyboard.
-
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an interference member disposed on an inner surface of a cap. Referring toFIG. 2 andFIG. 4 at the same time, in the embodiment, theinterference member 150 above is disposed on aninner surface 124 of thecap 120, and theinterference member 150 is disposed corresponding to thehorizontal portion 144 of thelink member 140. The disclosure does not limit the position of theinterference member 150, and theinterference member 150 may also be disposed corresponding to theparallel portion 142. - From the above, the
interference member 150 may be integrally formed on theinner surface 124 of thecap 120 using the method of injection molding when manufacturing thecap 120. Alternatively, theinterference member 150 may also be an element independent from thecap 120, such as a plate, disposed on theinner surface 124 via a post-processing method, such as pasting. The material of theinterference member 150 may be the same as the material of thecap 120, or theinterference member 150 may be manufactured using a material having elasticity. - Continue referring to
FIG. 1 andFIG. 2 , thebutton assembly 100 further includes a thinfilm circuit board 160 disposed on thebottom plate 110, and the thinfilm circuit board 160 is located under theelastic member 130. - The
button assembly 100 may also include asupport member 170 disposed between caps and thebottom plate 110 if required. In some magnetic keys, the configuration of thesupport member 170 may also be omitted. - Continue referring to
FIG. 1 ,FIG. 2 , andFIG. 3 , when the user punches thecap 120 of thebutton assembly 100, the user's finger contacts thebutton surface 122 of thecap 120, thecap 120 is pressured to move downward causing theelastic member 130 to switch on the thinfilm circuit board 160 for entering a command. At this time, the downward movement of thecap 120 drives thelink member 140 to rotate. After the user's finger leaves thecap 120, the elastic restoring force of theelastic member 130 drives thecap 120 to go back to the original position, and thelink member 140 is driven by thecap 120 to rotate back to the original position. - In particular, the
interference member 150 protrudes from theinner surface 124 of thecap 120, allowing theinterference member 150 to maintain interference with thelink member 140. Since the end of theparallel portion 142 of thelink member 140 is inserted into thebottom plate 110 to be fixed to thebottom plate 110, thelink member 140 moves corresponding to the movement of thecap 120, allowing thehorizontal portion 144 thereof to use the end of theparallel portion 142 inserted into thebottom plate 110 as the rotational axis to rotate, while theinterference member 150 continues to interfere with thelink member 140 to reduce the vibration due to the rotation of thehorizontal portion 144 causing the end of theparallel portion 142 to collide with thebottom plate 110, thereby achieving the effect of noise reduction. - In addition, the effect of noise reduction with the
interference member 150 being disposed corresponding to thehorizontal portion 144 of thelink member 140 is better as compared to the effect of noise reduction with theinterference member 150 being disposed corresponding to theparallel portion 142 of thelink member 140. The reason being if when theinterference member 150 is disposed at theparallel portion 142, the rotation of thelink member 140 is driven by thecap 120 moving up and down, and noise may be easily produced due to the vibration causing thehorizontal portion 144 to contact with theinner surface 124 of thecap 120. Therefore, even though noise produced by the collision of thelink member 140 with thebottom plate 110 can be reduced, the noise produced by the contact of thehorizontal portion 144 with theinner surface 124 cannot be prevented. - However, by disposing the
interference member 150 corresponding to thehorizontal portion 144, the noise produced by the contact of thehorizontal portion 144 with theinner surface 124 and the collision of thelink member 140 with thebottom plate 110 can be prevented at the same time. Therefore, the effect of noise reduction is better. - This embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment above, except that in the first embodiment, the
interference member 150 is disposed on theinner surface 124 of thecap 120, while in this embodiment, theinterference member 151 is disposed on thelink member 140. -
FIG. 5A toFIG. 5C are schematic views of different patterns of an interference member disposed on a link member according to a second embodiment of the disclosure. Specifically, theinterference member 151 may be integrally formed on thelink member 140. For example, aninterference member 151 a may be formed on thelink member 140 using stamping, cutting, or other machining methods at the same time of forming thelink member 140, as illustrated inFIG. 5A . For example, theinterference member 151 may be a protruding block, a protruding rib, or a protruding strip, depending on usage requirements. In another embodiment, aninterference member 151 b of a different material may also be disposed on thelink member 140 using the method of double injection molding, as illustrated inFIG. 5B . - Alternatively, an interference member 151 c may be a component independent from the
link member 140 and may be disposed on the link member 140 (as illustrated inFIG. 5C ) via a post-processing method (for example, manual assembly). The interference member 151 c may be a C-ring or a hollow circular ring. - From the first embodiment and the second embodiment, persons skilled in the art are more easily to conceive that the
interference members inner surface 124 of thecap 120 and thelink member 140 at the same time without affecting the actuation of thebutton assembly 100, wherein theinterference member 150 located at theinner surface 124 may be disposed corresponding to theinterference member 151 on thelink member 140, or theinterference members - From the above, persons skilled in the art should know that the number, position, shape, and material of the
interference members inner surface 124 of thecap 120 and thelink member 140 at the same time can be provided. -
FIG. 6 is an assembly schematic view of a cap, an interference member, and a link member according to a third embodiment of the disclosure. Referring toFIG. 6 , this embodiment is substantially the same as the first embodiment and the second embodiment above, except that in abutton assembly 100′ of this embodiment, theinterference member 152 is not disposed between theinner surface 124 of thecap 120 and thelink member 140, theinterference member 152 is disposed in pairs on theinner surface 124 and protrudes toward thebottom plate 110, and thehorizontal portion 144 of thelink member 140 is snapped into theinterference member 152. Briefly, theinterference member 152 further provides a supporting function for fixing and holding thelink member 140. - In the embodiment, each pair of
interference members 152 has afirst interference member 152 a and asecond interference member 152 b, wherein thefirst interference member 152 a has a first accommodating area (not labeled) used for accommodating thelink member 140 and thesecond interference member 152 b has a second accommodating area (not labeled) used for accommodating thelink member 140. Also, a first central axis C1 can be defined from the first accommodating area and a second central axis C2 can be defined from the second accommodating area, wherein the first central axis C1 and the second central axis C2 are parallel but not coaxial. - From the above, the first central axis C1 and the second central axis C2 can be made non-coaxial through allowing the shapes of the
first interference member 152 a and thesecond interference member 152 b to be asymmetrical. Specifically, thesecond interference member 152 b has a protrudingportion 152 c protruding toward thefirst interference member 152 a. Also, when thelink member 140 is snapped into the pair ofinterference members 152, the protrudingportion 152 c slightly shifts thelink member 140, allowing the third central axis C3 of thehorizontal portion 144 to be non-coaxial with the first central axis C1 of thefirst interference member 152 a and also non-coaxial with the second central axis C2 of thesecond interference member 152 b. In this way, the goal of reducing the noise produced by the collision of thelink member 140 with thebottom plate 110 can be achieved. - Of course, the shapes of the
first interference member 152 a and thesecond interference member 152 b may also be symmetrical, wherein the effect of making the second central axis C2 to deviate from the first central axis C1 to be non-coaxial may also be achieved by disposing the protrudingportion 152 c on both thefirst interference member 152 a and thesecond interference member 152 b. - From the above, the configuration of the protruding
portion 152 c allows the first central axis C1 and the second central axis C2 to be non-coaxial, so that the noise produced by the collision of thelink member 140 with thebottom plate 110 can be reduced. In addition, the configuration of theprotrusion portion 152 c further allows the pair ofinterference members 152 to have a more compact contact or even interference with thelink member 140, so that when thebutton assembly 100′ is punched, the vibration frequency of thelink member 140 due to rotation can be further reduced, thereby reducing noise caused by resonance. -
FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a button assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the disclosure. Referring toFIG. 7 , this embodiment is substantially the same as the third embodiment above. Theinterference members 153 and 154 are formed by a method capable of fixing and holding thelink member 140. The difference is that the number ofinterference members 153 and 154 in this embodiment is more than two pairs, and the shapes of the twointerference members FIG. 6 ) of each pair ofinterference members 153 and 154 are symmetrical to each other. However, the first central axes of at least two pairs ofinterference members 153 and 154 are not coaxial with each other. - Specifically, among the plurality of pairs of
interference members 153 and 154 disposed along thehorizontal portion 144 of thelink member 140, the position of at least one pair of the interference members 154 is dislocated by the positions of the other pairs ofinterference members 153. - More specifically, the
interference member 153 and the interference member 154 are arranged on an axial direction D1 of thehorizontal portion 144, but theinterference member 153 and the interference member 154 are dislocated from each other on an axial direction D2 along theparallel portion 142, thereby allowing a central axis C1′ of the pair of interference members 154 with the offset configuration to be parallel but not coaxial with the first central axis C1 of the other pairs ofinterference members 153. -
FIG. 8A andFIG. 8B are cross-sectional schematic views of an area B and an area C ofFIG. 7 . Referring toFIG. 7 ,FIG. 8A , andFIG. 8B at the same time, after thelink member 140 is snapped into these pairs ofinterference members 153 and 154, it can be observed fromFIG. 8A that the third central axis C3 of thehorizontal portion 144 at the area B is coaxial with the first central axis C1 of the pair ofinterference members 153. However, it can be observed fromFIG. 8B that since the interference member 154 at the area C and theinterference member 153 at the area B are staggered, thehorizontal portion 144 of thelink member 140 of the interference member 154 engaged at the area C is interfered by the interference member 154, allowing the third central axis C3 to be coaxial with the first central axis C1′ of the interference member 154 at the area C, but to deviate from the first central axis C1 of theinterference member 153 at the area B, so that thelink member 140 does not easily rotate, thereby achieving the goal of noise reduction. - Based on the above, in the button assembly of the disclosure, a compact contact or even interference with the link member is provided through the configuration of the interference member. Therefore, when the user punches the button assembly, the link member does not easily rotate, so that the noise produced by the collision of the link member with the bottom plate or with the cap can be reduced while preventing resonance, thereby effectively achieving the effect of noise reduction.
- It may be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the disclosure covers modifications and variations provided that they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
Claims (12)
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US16/408,481 US20200043678A1 (en) | 2018-08-01 | 2019-05-10 | Button assembly |
US17/540,214 US11721499B2 (en) | 2018-08-01 | 2021-12-01 | Button assembly |
Applications Claiming Priority (4)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US201862712993P | 2018-08-01 | 2018-08-01 | |
CN201811609150.7 | 2018-12-27 | ||
CN201811609150.7A CN110797223B (en) | 2018-08-01 | 2018-12-27 | Key assembly |
US16/408,481 US20200043678A1 (en) | 2018-08-01 | 2019-05-10 | Button assembly |
Related Child Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US17/540,214 Division US11721499B2 (en) | 2018-08-01 | 2021-12-01 | Button assembly |
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US20200043678A1 true US20200043678A1 (en) | 2020-02-06 |
Family
ID=69229838
Family Applications (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US16/408,481 Abandoned US20200043678A1 (en) | 2018-08-01 | 2019-05-10 | Button assembly |
US17/540,214 Active US11721499B2 (en) | 2018-08-01 | 2021-12-01 | Button assembly |
Family Applications After (1)
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US17/540,214 Active US11721499B2 (en) | 2018-08-01 | 2021-12-01 | Button assembly |
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US (2) | US20200043678A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20220093350A1 (en) * | 2018-08-01 | 2022-03-24 | Lite-On Electronics (Guangzhou) Limited | Button assembly |
Family Cites Families (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN102376468B (en) * | 2010-08-27 | 2014-07-16 | 光宝电子(广州)有限公司 | Key device |
US20200043678A1 (en) * | 2018-08-01 | 2020-02-06 | Lite-On Electronics (Guangzhou) Limited | Button assembly |
TWI749815B (en) * | 2020-10-16 | 2021-12-11 | 致伸科技股份有限公司 | Key structure |
-
2019
- 2019-05-10 US US16/408,481 patent/US20200043678A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2021
- 2021-12-01 US US17/540,214 patent/US11721499B2/en active Active
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20220093350A1 (en) * | 2018-08-01 | 2022-03-24 | Lite-On Electronics (Guangzhou) Limited | Button assembly |
US11721499B2 (en) * | 2018-08-01 | 2023-08-08 | Lite-On Electronics (Guangzhou) Limited | Button assembly |
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US11721499B2 (en) | 2023-08-08 |
US20220093350A1 (en) | 2022-03-24 |
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